Automatic sheet feeding device for duplicators



Sept. 14, 1937. F. W. sToRcK ET'AL AUTOMATIC SHEET FEEDING' DEVICE FOR DUPLICATORS 'FiledMay 2, 193e 5 Sheets-sheet 1 .All

Sept. 14, 1937. F.w. sToRcK ET Ar.

AUTOMATIC SHEET FEEDING DEVICE FOR DUPLICATORS Filed May 2, 1956 5 Sheets-'Sheet 2 Illlllilllll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Sept14, 1937. F. w. ST'QRCKIET AL 2,093,384

AUTOMATIC SHEET FEEDING DEVICE :FOR DUPLICAvTOR-S -F-iled May 2, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept- 14, 1937- F. w. s'rocK ET AL 2,093,384

AUTOMATIC SHEET FEEDING DEVICE FOR DUPLICATORS Filed May 2, 195e 5 sheets-sneet';

74' M. Y y fff/ kmw'dwg, 42 v ,Zveczerick Hawa-c7@ a @l gy @mi o?. 19%

Sept. 14,4 1937.V F. w.v sToRcK Er A1. 2,093,384

AUTOMATIC SHEET FEEDING DEVICE VFOR DUPLICATORS A Filed May 2, 195e S sheets-sheets J9 WJ I of@ Paul l. Z'wewmw/ Patented Sept. 14, 1937 PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC SHEET FEEDING DEVICE FOR DUPLICA'I'ORS Frederick W. Storck, Arlington, and Paul 'I'. Trueman, Canton, Mass., assignors to Standard Mailing Machines Company, Everett, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 2, 1936, Serial No. '77,578 Seiaims. (c1. 271-42) This invention relates to improvements in feeding devices adapted for use with rotary duplicators having a master copy for imparting same to clear sheets subsequently engaged therewith and the invention more particularly relates to a sheet feeding mechanism associated with the duplicator for automatically feeding the top sheet' of a stack to-be duplicated upon for registering engagement with the, -master copy. 10 In rotary duplicatorsfofthe referred to character, it is essential that the .clear sheet to be duplicated upon be aligned with respect to the master copy during the'forward feeding movement of the sheet so as to 'render the machine adaptable for use with sheets having specific portions on which the matter of the master copy must register as the sheets are engaged therewith.

In the present type of sheet feeding device, and 20 to which our improvements pertain, the sheets to be duplicated upon are placed upon a tray or support in a stacked formation against a stop which engages the advance end of the stack. Stops of this character have heretofore been provided 25 with a spring pressed flange portion which overlies and engages a margin of the uppermost z' sheet ofthe stack under pressure and, as the stack is decreased, the ange descends in en- 'ff gagement therewith while, in other devices, 36 mechanism is provided for lifting the stack supporting platform bodily to retain the uppermost vsheet in engagement with the referred to overly` ing flange. These known devices usually employ ,a roller, mounted to be bodily reciprocated above 35 the stack and in contact therewith and intermittently locked against rotation so as to intermittently become a pusher for the uppermost sheet ofthe stack. The roller is locked against rotation, during a portion of this reciprocating move- 40 ment, in a manner to firstmove the top sheet backward from under the forward end stop iiange` and then propel the sheet forward over the stop ange into engagement with the duplicating means.

45 In sheet feeding devices of the referredto character, of which we are aware, various complicated and exposed means have been utilized to arrest rotative movement of the feed roller such as, for example, reversible or double acting ratchets and 50 pawls which are afxed to or associated with the ends of theI roller or act directly on the roller shaft to which the roller or like members are lsecured.. Therefore, one of the objects of our present 55 invention is to provide a sheet feeding device that is efficient and simple in construction and which incorporates substantially enclosed unit devices for causing positive feeding of the sheet from a stack to registering engagement with the master copy. 5

It has been a special object of our invention to provide an automatic sheet feeding device with improved means for intermittently engaging directly with the feed roller for locking the feed roller against rotation and in a manner so as to provide accuracy of operation which adapts `our device for use where exact alignment and positioning of the sheet is required and in a manner that requires a minimum of attention on the part of the operator.

Another object is to provide a feeding roller unit, including a control for arresting rotative movement of the roller, so constructed that the unit may be moved bodily crosswise of the stack, and positioned as desired for engagement with the uppermostvsheet of the stack.

A further object is to so construct our feeding roller unit so as to permit the use of a plurality of separate units, should occasion require the use of more than one unit, for engagement with the uppermost sheet of a stack and wherein the lockingvfunction of each unit'may be adjusted independent of the other.

A still further object is to construct our feeding roller unit so that the feed roller of the unit will be independently self-aligning relative to the plane of the stack.

With the above and other objects in view, our invention comprises a novel combination and arrangementy of parts hereinafter described and l more specifically pointed out in the appended claims. v

In the accompanying drawings we have shown our invention suicient to enable those skilled in the art to understand the construction and operation thereof..

While we have shown our feeding device associated with a duplicator as described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,964,933, it is to be understood that this is for the purpose of illustration only and our device is not to be limited toa machine of this specific construction; and further, our illustrated embodiment shows a feeding device employing two of our units, but it is to be understood that a single unit with a roller of required length may be utilized to effectively feed a sheet from the stack.

In the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of our feeding device and wherein like reference characters are used to designate like parts: 55

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the duplicating machine having our feeding device attached thereto, in this view a side frame of the duplicator is omitted and some of the parts are shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a View corresponding substantially to Fig. 1, but shows some of the parts in a different position. r

Fig. 3 is a plan view of our feeding device substantially as shown at Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 4 is an end elevation taken substantially along line 4 4, Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a sectional View of our feed roller and its carriage and is taken substantially along line 5-5, Fig. 3

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding substantially to Fig. 5, but shows some of the parts in a different position.

Fig. '7 is a detail of the intermittent gears as embodied in the illustrated duplicating machine. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a modied form of our feed roller and carriage illustrated at Fig. 5.

The duplicating machine The duplicating machine as illustrated is provided With opposed stationary side frames I which support the operating elements of the duplicator. The frames are retained in a spaced relation by suitable cross ymembers (not shown).

The printing platen II is rotatably mounted upon a shaft I2 which, in turn, is secured against rotation in suitable bearings in the side frames. The printing platen II is provided with a suitable clamping device I3 for holding the end of the master copy.

A pressure roller I4 engages the peripheral face of the platen II and is mounted upon a shaft I which is journalled at its ends in suitable bearings in the side frames.

The feed rollers I6 and I1 are each provided with shafts I8, I9 which are rotatably supported in suitable bearings. In this instance, the roller I6 is utilized as an intermediate moisture applicator which is supplied with moisture by a wick 28 which engages with fluid contained in the tank 2|.

The duplicatordrive The mechanism for intermittently rotating the printing platen includes a primary gear 22 which is adapted to be continuously rotated as, for example, by means of a continuously driven pinion (not shown) which, in turn, may be actuated by a hand crank or power driven.' An intermittent gear' 23 is secured to the primary gear 22 and meshes with a coacting intermittent gear 24 secured to the drum or platen II. and 23 are rotatably mounted on a stud 25, which is secured to one of the side frames III. Ihe intermittent gears 23 and 24 are of the usual construction wherein a predetermined portion o-f the periphery of each is free from teeth and continued rotation of the driving gear dwill not rotate the driven gear until the blank space in the driving gear has passed the blank space in the driven gear and the teeth inboth enmesh. Fig. 7 illustrates the construction of the intermittent gears 23 and 24. f

The feed rollers I6 and -I1 are intermittently The gears 22- rotated with the printing platen I by means of a gear 26' which is secured to one end of the platen. This gear 26 enmeshes with and drives an intermediate gear 21 which, in turn, enmeshes with and drives a pinion 28 adapted to rotate the feed roller I6, the coacting roller being frictionally driven.

A duplicating machine of the above character is fully shown and described in the aforesaid patent, therefore, further detailed description of the parts and operation thereof is thought unnecessary.

The sheet stack support Thestack of sheets 29'to be duplicated upon is supported upon'a tray 30 which, in this instance, is provided with upwardly extending side flanges 30a. The advance ends of the flangesv 30a are secured to a transverse rod 3I which extends beyond the flanges and engages in slotted bearings Illa in the side frames to support the advance end of the tray in a positioned relation to the feed rollers I6 and I1. The rear' end of the tray is supported by a knee brace 32 pivoted at 33 to the tray and engaging a cross rod IIIb disposed in and between the side frames.

The advance end of the tray 30 is provide with a stop 34 having inwardly extending flanges 34a, 34h. The lower flange 34a acts as a stop for the end of a pressure plate 35 which is pivoted at 36 to the bottom of the 'tray 30 and forms a part thereof. This pressure plate 35 is provided with an extension 35a which is adapted to engage one end of a compression spring 31,A the opposed end of said spring 31 having its bearing against the under side of the tray 30. The spring 31 urges the forward end of the pressure plate in the direction of the top flange 34b, of the front stop 34, and thus, as the stack is reduced, the uppermost sheet is always engaged under pressure with the under side of the flange 34h and facilitates withdrawing a single uppermost sheet of the stack as will be hereinafter mentioned. Further, with this arrangement of parts, the top flange 34h is always positively positioned relative to the engaging point of the feed rollers and, therefore, each sheet to be subsequently fed 1 is disposed to require like feeding movement for engagement by the feed rollers I6, I1.

The sheet feeding device When in operative position, the feed roller 38 is continuously in contact with the top of the stack 29'. This roller may be of any suitable construction provided with a frictional face and we preferably use a roller having a serrated or like rubber face as illustrated at Figs. 5 and 6. The feed roller 38 is rotatably mounted in a frame -il'l which is provided with a sleeve 39a. This sleeve 39a is mounted for slight rotative movement on the trunnion 40a of a bearing 40 and its movement thereon limited by-stop screws 4I.

The frame bearing 40 is mounted on a trans-A verse shaft 42, having its opposed ends mounted in anti-friction bearings 43 secured in the upper ends of oscillating levers 44 and 45, the lower ends of said levers being secured to the cross rod Illb and pivoted therewith. They levers 44 and 45 are oscillated by means of an arm 46 having one end pivoted at 41 to the lever 45 and its opposed end pivoted to a crank disc 48 adjustably secured on a shaft 48a which has secured thereto a gear 49 which meshes with the primary gear 22 and. thus the levers 44, are oscillated in a direct and timed relation to the aforementioned dwell period of the intermittent gears 23, 24.

The feed roller lock The shaft 42 is provided with a longitudinal groove 42a which, together with the peripheral face of the shaft, may be conveniently said to form a cam face for a purpose hereinafter mentioned. This groove 42a is adapted to receive the head 50a of a cam follower plunger 50 which is slidablymounted in an enlarged cylindrical bore in the bearing trunnion 40a. The plunger 58 is retained in contact 'with the shaft 42 by means of compression spring I whichhas its bearing at one end under an annular head 50h,- of .the plunger, and its opposed end bearing against the end of the enlarged cylindrical bore in the trunnion 40a. Rotative movement of the plunger 50, within the trunnion 40a, is prevented by means of a slot 50c, formed in the plunger, which slidably engages with a pin 40h vsecured in the trunnion.

The plunger 50 is provided with a threaded bore 50d adapted to engage the threaded portion of an adjusting screw 52. In this instance the inner end of the screw is split and expanded; as is well known, to prevent free rotative movement of the screw. It is obvious that other forms' may be employed for locking the adjusting screw in a desired position.

This ,adjusting screw 52 is provided with an enlarged head 52a and is adaptedto freely support a brake-head member 53, and, by means of this screw, the disengaged spaced relation of the brake-head relative to the roller 38 may be adjusted. The Abrake-head member 53 is urged against the screw-head 52a by means of a compression spring 54 which encircles the screw 52 and has its bearing at one end against the screwhead 52a. and its opposed end bearing against the bottom of a cylindrical bore in the plunger.

Operation of feed roller Zoclc i.

As the shaft 42 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 6, as will be hereinafter described, the camming action of the shaft groove 42a against the plunger-head 50a causes the plunger to be moved to the right to engage the brake-head 53 withthe face of the roller, see Fig. 6. Also, at the beginning of the shaft movement, this camming action of the shaft groove 42a against the head 58a causes a downward pressure to be exerted by the roller 38 and thus facilitates in the starting of a gripping action upon the uppermost sheet by the locked roller.

'I'he complete movement of the plunger 58 is greater than is required to cause contact between tion of the arrow, Fig. 5, the spring 5| urges the plunger-head 50a into the groove 42a and, through the screw-head 52a the brake-head 53` is disengaged from its relation with the roller, the spring 54 again seating the brake-head 534 against the screw-head 52a and thus the roller 38 is again free to rotate.

Modified form of feed roller lock I At Figs. 8 and 9 we haveshown a modified form of locking device for the roller 38 and in which the cam follower is in the kform of a pin 10 having an enlarged head 10a which is adapted to engage in the shaft groove'42'a. This pin 10 is slidably mounted in a plunger 1l, which, in turn, is slldably mounted in the cylindrical bore in the bearing trunnion 40a. The cam follower 10 is urged in the direction of the shaft 42 by means of a compression spring 12 which has its bearing at one end under the enlarged head 10a of the pin 10 and its opposed end bearing against the bottom of the bore in the plunger 1|. Movement of the pin 10, under the influence of the spring 12, is limited by means of a cross-pin 13 which is secured in the pin 10 and has its extending ends engaging in opposed slots 1Ia inthe plunger 1|. This plunger 1I, together with the cam' follower pin 10, lforms a unit which may be conveniently termed-a yielding plunger unit.

A compression spring 14, of a lesser strength than the pin spring 12, encircles the plunger 10 and has its bearing, at one end, under an annular head of the plunger 10, the opposed end of said spring 'I4 having its bearing against the bottom of the enlarged cylindrical bore in the trunnion 40a. This spring 14 urges the plunger unit into engagement with the shaft 42.

The plunger 1I is provided `with a pin 15 which slidably engages in a slot 40g, in the trunnion 40a., and thus prevents rotation of the plunger. 'Ihe outer end of the plunger 1l is threaded in a manner to have 'adjustably secured thereon a brake-head 16; this threaded portion may be split the brake-head 53 and the face of the roller 38.-

This greater movement of the plunger 58 causes the brake-head 53 to become unseated, relative to the enlarged screw-head 52a, and compresses the spring 54 against the brake-head, thus" causing the brake-head 53 to be forced into a yielding pressureengagement with the roller-138 and thus locking the roller against rotation. Also, this spring 54compensates for any wear which might occur on the face of the feed roller. As is obvious, the degree of yielding pressure, of the compression spring 54, is controlled by the strength of the spring and which may be selected to suit conditions. It should be noted that the bores in the brake-head 53 are provided with sufficient clearance so as to substantially eiTect a floating or self-aligning lcontact of the brake-head with the roller face under the influence of the compression spring 54. r

Conversely, as the shaft is rotated in the direcfeeding operation.

`and expanded, as is w' e1 l known, in providing this form of a frictionally controlled adjustment, or any other suitable means "may be provided to retainl the head 16 in .an adjusted position relative tothe face 'of the feed roller 38. This means of adjustment, or means as illustrated in our preferred form, permits the use of more than one unit in feeding a sheet and each unit may be. independently adjusted in its braking action to arrest movement of the roller 38 in a manner to prevent skewing of the sheet and assure accuracy in alignment as the sheet is advanced during the It is apparent that vwithout this independent adjustment, feeding stresses -on opposite sides of the sheet could not be equalized when more than one unit is used.

Operation of the modified form of feed roller lock tial engagement of the brake-head, further camming action of the shaft, in the completion of its movement, causes the cam follower pin-head 18a 'to compress its spring 52 and forms a yielding,

pressure-exerting connection between the shaft 42 and the plunger 1| and thus, in turn, the

brake-head exerts a yielding pressure in its engagement with the roller face.

As the shaft 42 is rotated in the direction of arrow, Fig. 8, and, as the groove 42a registers with the head 10a of the cam follower pin 10, the pin spring 12 will move the pin 10 against its stop in the slot 15 and the plunger spring 14 moves the entire plu'nger unit to the left to its non-braking position with the pin-head 1Min engagement in the shaft groove 42a as illustrated at Fig. 8.

Operation of sheet ,feeding device During the dwell period of the duplicator and its feed rol1ers,`the stack 29 is placed on its support 30. During this dwell period,the feeding elements are positioned as shown by fulllines, Fig. 2, and to facilitate in the positioning of the stack, the roller frame is adapted to be rotated about the shaft 42 to displace the roller 38 out of its engaging relation with the top of the stack, as illustrated by dot and dash lines in Fig. 2.

During the rotation 'of the roller frame in displacing the feed roller, as aforesaid, possibledisplacement of the shaft groove 42a from its operative position is prevented by means of a limiting pin 58a which is secured in one of the 'shaft supporting arms and engages in a cut-o'ut 58h formed in the shaft arm 58, see Fig. 10. The rear end of the stack abuts against a stop 56 'which extends under the stack 29 and thereby effects substantially a slight concave in the face plane of the stack which, in a measure, facilitates in operating upon -they are positioned at the limit of their forward movement which occurs during an interim of and in a timed relation to the dwell period ofthe duplicating machine and this position may be conveniently termed the beginning of the sheet feeding cycle.

To begin the cycle of feeding a single sheet, the arms 44, 45 are oscillated backward from the position shown in full lines, Fig. 2, to the position shown by broken lines, same gure, and during. which the roller 38 is free to rotate in engagement with the top of the stack 29. As the arms 44, 45 continue their backward movement, the roller 51, of van arm 58 which is secured to the shaft 42, engages with an adjustable stop 59 and rocks the shaft 42 in a clockwise direction. This rocking of the shaft, through its groove 42a, operates the feed roller brake to arrest movement of the roller 38 by forcing the brake-head 55 into engagement therewith as aforesaid, and, as illustrated at Fig. 6. While the, bodily rearward movement ofthe roller 3B is being com-l pleted, i. e., from the position shown by broken lines, Fig. 2, to the position shown in Fig. 1, the roller is locked against rotation in engagement with the uppermost sheet and causes the advance end of the uppermost sheet to be withdrawn from under the front stop flange 34 and the rear portion of the sheet is buckled against the rearstop 56, as illustrated at Fig. 1.

As the arms 44, 45 continue their oscillation, in a forward direction, the locked roller 38 acts as a pusher and advances the sheet, by its frictional engagement therewith, over the ange 34h and the forward end of the sheet is guided by a plateA 60 into engagement, in this instance, with the bight formed between the feed rollers I6, I1 which are then in their dwell period. 'I'he sheet is slightly overfed, in being advanced, so as to form a slight buckle in the forward portion thereof, so as to positively position the advance end as shown at Fig. 2. A

When the arms 44, 45 approach the limit of their forward movement, the roller 51 engages with a forward adjustable stop 5I and, as the arms complete their forward movement, the shaft 42 is rotated in a contra-clockwise direction, thus effecting the unlocking of the feeding roller 3l, as previously described and illustrated at Fig 5, and thus the feeding roller isfree to rotate at the beginning of its backward bodily tnlxovement of its next successive cycle of opera- Having thus described our invention, what we claim iszl. A sheet feeding device for duplicators having a support for a stackvof sheets, arockable shaft disposed above said stack with means for reciprocating said shaft bodily relative 'to said stack between opposed positions with a stop adjacent each of said positions, elements secured to said shaft and adapted to engage said stops and whereby said shaft is rocked to opposed positions,'a frame having a bearing free for movement relative to said shaft, a rotatable roller mounted in said frame with slidable brake means carried by said frame and actuated by and through rotative movement of said shaft and whereby rotative movement of said roller is arrested for the purpose of feeding a sheet from said stack.

2. A sheet feeding device for duplicators including a support for a stack of sheets, a rockable shaft disposed above said stack with means for reciprocating said shaft bodily relative to said stack between opposed positions and a stop adjacent each of said positions, means cooperating with said shaft and stops whereby said shaft is rocked to opposed positions at determinate points in its reciprocating cycle, a bearing free for rotative and longitudinal movement relative to said shaft, a frame pivotally connected to said bearing, a rotatable roller mounted in said frame and in contact with the uppermost sheet of said stack when in operative position, spring pressed means carried by said bearing and controlled by said shaft upon the rocking thereof to arrest rotative movement of said roller for the purpose of feeding a sheet from said stack.-

3. A sheet feeding device for duplicators including a support'for a stack of sheets, a rockable shaft disposed above said stack with means for reciprocating said shaft bodily relative to said stack between opposed positions and a stop adjacent each of said positions, means cooperating withsaid shaft and stops whereby said shaft is rocked to opposed positions at determinate points in its reciprocating cycle, a frame rotatably supported by said shaft, la rotatable roller pivotally supported relative to said frame and adapted to engage with the uppermost sheet of said stack, a bore' in said frame, a plunger slidably mounted in said bore with a spring member urging said plunger in the direction of said shaft, an adjustable member secured to the outer end of said plunger and adapted for engagement with said roller, a spring pressed member slidably mounted in said plunger and adapted for engagey ment with said shaft vand whereby said slidable members are actuated to arrest rotative movement of said roller when said shaft is in one plicated upon, a feeding roller in engagement with said stack, means for imparting to saidv means embodying a rockable shaft and cooperative stops for effecting converse movement of said shaft for controlling the rotative period of said roller during said forward and backward travel.

5. A sheet feeding device for duplicators which includes a support for sheets of paper to be duplicated upon, a rotatable element in engagement with said stack with means for bodily moving said element forward and backward relative to said stack, together with a rockable shaft with means for rocking said shaft at determinate points, and spring pressed means cooperating with said shaft and adapted, when in one position, to permit free rotative movement of said element and, when in their opposed position, to arrest rotative movement of said element during a portion of its bodily movement.

6. A sheet feeding device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said rotatably mounted roller is selfaligning relative to the plane of said stack.

7 A sheet feeding device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said-brake member is arranged to bear upon the surface of said roller with a yielding pressure.

8. A sheet feeding device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said brake member is arranged in an adjustable spaced relation relative to said roller during the disengaged period of said brake and roller. y

FREDERCK W. STORCK. PAUL T. TRUEMAN. 

